Aftermath
by ForgiveMePlz
Summary: The Knight-Commander is dead. The city of Kirkwall is in flames. The magi are in uprising. Hawke, her trusted companions and Her lover, Fenris, must now seek a new life away from all the death and destruction of their terrible pasts. Will their new lives bring the travelers closer together or just tear them apart?
1. On The Run

Chapter 1 - On The Run

Hawke and the other champions ran as fast as their legs could carry them, each stride becoming more difficult as fatigue set in. They had succeeded in killing the Knight-Commander, or at least the damned swords of hers did, and were now fleeing the city they had once called home. The Templars were gaining on the, clankering behind the fugitives in heavy suits of amour that even the strongest blade found difficult to penetrate.

"Hawke! We can't keep this up." Isabela yelled from the back of the group, panic audible in her voice. She was right but what else could they do? Reason with the Templers? No. Not a chance, not after what just went down. They were on their own and they knew it all too well.

"Hold in there a bit longer! We just need to find a safe place to hide!" Hawke shouted back. She looked over her shoulder to see the whole city in flames and the realisation that her second home was now destroyed hit her. This must be a dream? A sick dream! It was not however and, as hot tears fell from her bright blue eyes, Hawke knew that her comrades where all she had left.

"We won't out run them! We should just fight!" Fenris suggested over the thunderous booms and crashes the emanated from the city walls. Hawke looked over at her lover and saw the determination in his eyes which gave the champion hope once more. Hawke nodded and with one swift motion grabbed her staff, ready the hurl spell after spell at the one who dared hurt her friends.

The Templers were approaching fast and the group got ready to battle. Swords glistened by the lights of the city flames and spell crackled in their casters hands. The Templers were exhausted from all the running which gave Hawke the advantage. Lifting both arms into the air, Hawke concentrated on making flame erupt in her palms. Warmth spread over her body and energy surged though her veins, when the power became too much she released the fire towards her enemies. Isabela and Fenris had already charged into battle while Anders, Merrill and Varric targeted Templers from afar.

After, what felt like half an hour to the frustrated worriers, this battle was over. Covered in sticky, crimson blood, Hawke sighed and checked to make sure everybody was alright. Only a few shallow cuts and bruises, nothing serious. Knowing that everybody was alright caused Hawke to relax slightly.

"So? Can we walk, or must I prepare my legs for more suffering?" Isabela asked trying to get some of the blood off of her white tunic. Even though her tone was serious, the smile that can after told Hawke that she was joking.

"Yes, but we need to move quickly if we want to avoid another fight." The rest just nodded in agreement to tired to raise their voice. Hawke turned to the landscape to say her final farewells to Kirkwall, the city that now burned with war.

Something brushing against her hand and made Hawke jump. Fenris was standing next to her surveying the scene. His face was a picture of sorrow and, even if the elf had never set up a true home, she knew he was going to miss it. Hawke wanted to say something, to comfort him in his struggles but this all felt like her fault. What has she thinking dragging all of her friends into this unnecessary battle? How could she do this? It was all too much to take in at once but Hawke had to stay strong. If not for her sake then for the sake of the others, they still looked to her for leadership.

"This is not your fault; you could have done nothing to prevent it." Fenris had taken her hand in his while he tore his beautiful green eyes away from the horrific view. Hawke looked to the man she loved and knew that somehow this would all turn out okay. Fenris had been through so much and yet he still believed in her. His faith reduced Hawke to silent tears and Fenris lead the leader to the rest of the champions, leaving the city of Kirkwall to burn like the sun.


	2. Nightmares

Chapter 2 – Bad Dreams

Nightmares plagued Hawke that night. Images of abominations, corpses and blood swirled though her mind. Oh, maker, the amount of blood. However like every dream it must come to an end but Hawke's dreams ended with her waking up screaming, covered in cold sweat. The whole camp would come running thinking something awful had happened just to find their leader shivering on the forest floor.

One particular night the dreams were worse than ever. This time the corpses where her friends, her companions, her family. This couldn't continue. Hawke needed help. Getting up off the grassy ground, she looked around hoping to find Fenris.

The group had been camping out in the woods for the past week, always keeping vigilant in case of a surprise Templar attack or being jumped by raiders and wild beasts. They needed to find somewhere to set up a base that wasn't in the middle of nowhere. It was getting depressing.

Hawke spotted Fenris by the fire 'talking' the Anders. Those two couldn't have a civilized conversation if their lives depended on it. Fenris had his back to the champion but Anders, who was sitting on the opposite side of the fire, wore a scowl that told Hawke all too clearly that he had lost that nights argument.

Marian made her way to the fire passing Varric along the way, who was polishing Bianca, but wasn't concentrating very much. A smirk was playing on his lips meaning he had just overheard something worth gossiping about.

"What has got you so interested?" Hawke asked regretting the decision intently. The pleased looking dwarf looked up in surprise. The smirk changed to a childish grin upon realising it was Hawke who stood before him. The change in expression gave Marian an uneasy feeling, like when Varric tells her to read one his new books, which were always very 'graphic'.

"I just learned something very 'interesting' about our little mage friend over there. Care to lend me your ear?" Varric still had that creepy grin on his face which convinced Hawke that she did not want to know the interesting secret.

"Tell me some other time. The strange smile tends to put people off..." Varric just shrugged and carried on polishing his crossbow, but kept an ear out for more juicy facts. Hawke moved towards the fire again, feeling the warmth drench her slim body as she came closer to the roaring flames.

Fenris turned round when he heard Hawke approach, relieved that finally someone he could talk to had arrived. Marian smiled at the white-haired elf and sat down next to him. Fenris wrapped a strong arm around her shoulders and Hawke rested her head on his chest. Anders Just got up and left the couple with that annoying scowl still lingering on his face.

"What did you two argue about this time?" Hawke whispered with a sigh. They really couldn't stand each other, they were like fire and ice, and they always argued about everything. Fenris looked down at the woman he held in his arms and kissed her on the head lightly.

"Just about what happened in Kirkwall...things got a little out of hand." He spoke softly as not to convey the anger he felt towards the blond mage. It was true that Anders had blown up the Chantry and jeopardized the lives of so many people, including their own. However Hawke had shown him mercy because, after all, he was still a friend and she couldn't just ignore their past.

"Are you angry at him, or angry at me for keeping him?" Hawke asked curiously. She had not asked the others about how they had felt after the whole Anders ordeal; it had just seemed too late to kick him out of the group so opinions hadn't mattered. Truth be told, the topic hadn't come up much until now.

"I could never be angry at you and I know you did what you thought was best but... He just added fuel to the fire." Fenris went quiet for a moment, remembering their old lives. Hawke could feel the growl he let out and tensed against his body. He wasn't angry. He was furious, but at whom, she did not know.

"I'm sorry for dragging you into this." Marian confessed, sniffing slightly. She had felt so bad that she had involved her loved ones in this war and the guilt was becoming too much to bare.

"Don't be. It was not your fault, you should know that. I said I would walk along side you no matter what and I meant it." The elf's grip tightened around the champions shoulders. He didn't want to lose her again. "But...we might want to start thinking about getting out of this forest. I like the odd sense of freedom but it is being overwhelmed by the sense of pain. Forest floors don't make good beds, even if Merrill disagrees.

Hawke just laughed, the memories of her nightmares already fading as she sat there, protected by his love.


End file.
